The Avengers' Extended Vacation
by Kittypig
Summary: Nick Fury finds the team stressed after the battle of New York and decides that the Avengers need a little vacation. After all, what could possibly go wrong? Everything. Especially with Hawkeye and Tony Stark on board. When the ship's captain decides that he can't stand the complaints anymore, he throws the whole team overboard! (Told from Steve's point of view.) Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Surprise!

That battle in New York against the Chitauri Army was heck on the joints. I didn't feel well after the whole incident, and I don't think the other Avengers felt any better. The Shwarma thing? Eh, it wasn't exactly my taste. Or my time, for that matter. Nope, give me a good ol' hamburger or hot dog any day!

Loki was no picnic, either.  
Between the whole "I'm going to take over the world" stunt and him constantly pulling out a fancy little parlor trick every little bit, I found it very hard to relax with a good newspaper anymore. I didn't see how any of the rest of the team could take it easy as well.

Tony made a big deal of it, whining about the burns and scrapes (to his armor). Bruce, being the quiet guy as always, wasn't talking about it and avoided the topic, hiding in the lab every chance he got. Natasha and Clint? They began to talk with each other more, most likely seeking comfort in one another's presence. Thor…he usually could be found in the kitchen…eating Pop Tarts. Like I said before, Loki played pranks on all of us and caused mischief, as he's so greatly named for. I still couldn't believe that Nick Fury and the Asgardian Royal court decided that Loki should stay with us so that we could keep an eye on him. However, it's not my place to argue with superior officers so I kept my mouth shut. On a brighter note, Thor gets to see his brother every day and gives Loki tight bear hugs every single time he sees him, much to Loki's dismay.

One day, Director Nick Fury called by flashing up onto the TV screen. It wasn't a checking-in-on-Loki call but an I-have-a-special-surprise call.

"A surprise?" Tony repeated, preparing a witty retort. "Let me guess, your hair's growing back? That would _definitely _surprise me… Besides, aren't _I _exciting enough?"

The rest of us rolled our eyes as Fury shot Tony an angry look. Tony acted nonchalant and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"What? I'm stating an opinion!" Tony put his hands up defensively.

"Nobody asked for it," Clint muttered.

"Anyway," Nick began again, ignoring them. "your surprise is-"

"My Little Pony toys for everyone!" Tony interrupted again.

Everyone groaned and I about had the notion to slap some sense into Tony, but then I realized that it probably wouldn't do any good. Natasha already tried.

"Stark, shut up!" Fury commanded, and Tony instantly obeyed, his eyes wide in recognition. "Alright, the surprise reward is"—we all leaned forward in anticipation, except for Tony, who still stood strait as a stick—"a free vacation cruise!"

Tony relaxed, a brow raised in cockiness. He crossed his arms.

"Ha," he guffawed, "I go on vacation cruises every week!"

"A vacation _cruise?" _I inquired, my mind completely blank at the word _cruise. _

"Whoops, sorry, Capsicle. We forgot that cruises are before your time!" Tony teased sarcastically.

I scowled at Tony and in return he gave a mischievous smirk.

"Stark, seriously, shut up." Natasha said solemnly.

I nodded my thanks to her and resumed my gaze upon Fury. He eyed us with the only eye available coldly and sternly.

"This vacation will only be for a few days. Two to three maximum, one minimum." Fury continued.

"Wait, Director Fury, you're putting a minimum on vacation days?" Natasha asked skeptically.

I considered this, too. Why would you _force _someone on a vacation? Was he trying to get rid of us? If so, why? There was no reason for us to be lounging around the house all day, and sure, we needed to relax but a minimum?

"I want you to have fun." Fury replied in a dull tone, not even trying to stretch a smile.

"A-a boat, huh?" I heard Bruce mumble, "Surrounded completely by water. Hm…that doesn't sound like a stressful environment at all…"

"Avengers disperse," Fury adjourned the meet and the TV flashed back to whatever Tony and Clint had been watching.

The TV was shut down immediately afterwards and we all left very quickly, each taking part in a different social group. Tony and Bruce walked off to the laboratory while Agent Barton and Romanov went on their merry way to the training room. I walked with Thor, someone just as confused as me, to the living room. I had no idea where Loki had (literally) disappeared to. He usually went off on his own anyway, so I didn't pay any mind to it. Thor and I parked ourselves across from each other in the semi-expensive furniture and chatted about the news.

"A cruise of Vacation?" Thor voiced both our thoughts loudly, although I wouldn't word it _exactly _like he did. "What is that?"

"I don't know, Thor," I shook my head. "I _do _know what a vacation is, though."

"Indeed…" Thor lied. I could tell by the way he broke off awkwardly that he was fibbing.

"A vacation is when you take a break from your normal duties." I explained.

Thor nodded, but I knew how information got to him. In one ear and out the other.

"Aye," he said at last, signaling that he understood…well, maybe.

In a green cloud of smoke, Loki appeared on the couch adjacent to Thor. He had that sly grin on his face and his arms folded across his chest. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his third of the couch.

"Pshh, _vacation." _He wrinkled his nose and smothered the word in disgust. "Since when does Fury designate spare time to his employees?"

I thought it over for a second. "Maybe he saw that we were stressed." I suggested.

"Ah yes, forgive me for overlooking the fact that he _cares!" _Loki grumbled sarcastically. His words seemed to ring with truth, a disturbing thought. "I believe that Fury has other plans."

"Nay, Loki," Thor bellowed, "I do not think that friend Fury would betray us in such a way. Your silver tongue will not win over our thoughts."

"I agree," I told them. "Fury is a friendly."

Loki glared at the wall and disappeared in another pea-green haze. When the musk faded, Thor and I exchanged glances. Thor looked worried, his eyebrows in an arch and his eyes glittering with concern.

"What is mine sibling's meaning?" Thor wondered aloud.

"I want to know the same thing." I said.

…...

I soon departed Thor's and mine's meeting after talking about a few other modern things we didn't exactly understand. Then, down the elevator I went, past Thor, Clint, and Natasha's floors to my own. Yes, Tony gave us each our own floors for our bed-and-bath "suites". When the lift screeched to a halt it lurched and I fought to regain my balance. The doors rolled away into the walls, revealing my room. The color scheme was patriotic, of course, covering the walls with red and white stripes. The ceiling was blue and dotted with fifty white stars, each representing a different state in America. However, the floor was wooden, made of cherry if I remember correctly. In the corner was a huge queen bed, a flag design on the comforter that covered it as well as the pillows. I loved to gaze at one particular thing in the room, though: my shield. It was leaned up against the patriotic pillows, as if it were asleep. I suppose that _technically _it was asleep because it was an inanimate object, therefore it doesn't move.

I plopped down on my bed, exhausted and tired from…what did I do that day? Well, I read the morning paper, did some chores around the tower, and stopped some purse-snatchers while on my mid-morning jog. Did that count for anything? Not compared to the things I used to do. The things that Tony calls "spry". It was too late to go to the gym right then because it was about six o' clock and the gym closed at five. So, I roamed around my room, fiddling with my shield, ironing my suit, and whatever else I could scrounge up to do. I had no books to read because I hadn't visited the book store lately, so I couldn't do that. Then it dawned on me that when Fury said vacation "cruise" that it must have meant that we were traveling! I bounced off my bed and found a velvet-red travel case. I filled it with different assortments of clothes out of my dresser. I didn't know if it'd be hot, cold, wet, dry, dark, light or anything! (I also packed my Captain America suit, just in case.) I then closed the suitcase that contained: three T-shirts, three long-sleeved shirts, one hooded jacket, three pairs of pants, three pairs of shorts, and all other mandatory travel belongings.

I couldn't bear to leave my shield behind so I placed it on top of my suitcase so that I wouldn't forget it in the morning. (I am very forgetful.) I flopped down on my bed yet again, with no intentions of getting back up for a while. Finally, I slid into the covers of the bed and pulled the blankets up past my shoulders and to the tip of my nose. I rolled over onto my left side so that I faced the wall and squeezed my eyes shut as tightly as I could.

* * *

**Hey, everybody! So, everyone is going on a vacation? Hooray! Something we all wish for! I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter and review! (That was a hint, by the way.) :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, I opened my eyes at the sound of loud car horns outside and gazed at the clock like it was some kind of relic. No, _I _was the relic, I realized sadly. A hidden artifact of time. I slid off of my back and into a sitting position and let out a puff of air. A second later I yawned, of course, and rubbed my eyes to rid them of sleepiness. With a glint to the window I comprehended that I had overslept. _Crud. _I usually didn't sleep very long, especially with all of the nightmares. The latest I'd normally rest for was until about seven o'clock. His time it was about eight, daylight completely visible from just above the other skyscrapers.

I groggily trudged over to the elevator and about fell down on the way there. It's kind of hard to see when your eyes are half-lidded and your vision is blurred. Finally, I was able to maneuver through the exit and into the birdcage. The lurch down almost gave me a heart-attack as the lift shifted into motion of decent.

When I was on the Avengers' Assembly floor I was greeted by Agent Romanoff, Thor, and Dr. Banner (more or less). Bruce seemed not to be feeling too well, his head drooping in an utter attempt from his body to get some rest. Apparently, the need of sleep won the fight, because soon Dr. Banner's head fell with a _ka-thonk! _onto the surface of the table. Natasha stared for a long while, as did Thor, as if Bruce was a puzzle they couldn't quite grasp.

"If he was _that _tired, why did he come in here?" Natasha questioned, gesturing to the collapsed heap at the table.

"I suppose he was hungry." I suggested with a shrug.

Thor nodded in agreement, "Aye, hunger is more important than sleep."

Miss Romanoff gave us both an incredulous look.

"Well, I wouldn't put it _exactly _like that." I said quickly, sifting through the cabinet. "Say, when's the 'cruise' thing going on anyway, Natasha?"

The red-headed assassin gazed at the top of the cabinet thoughtfully, pulling her cup of coffee closer while gripping it in both hand as if to protect it. Then, she blinked and her eyes shifted back to me.

"Today. We have to at the docks by two, according to Fury." she answered, sipping a little bit of invigorating coffee.

There it was again. _We_ _have to. _Fury was _forcing _us. The conversation with Loki from last night came to mind. Was that sorcerer right? Did the director have something planned and wanted to get us out of the way? I shook my head. Never mind that. My next issue was going to the _docks. _That meant that we were going near boats! Maybe we were boarding one… If so, that meant that for at least three days, we were going to be completely surrounded by…ugh…water. I hadn't liked swimming or water ever since I'd been frozen solid into a, as Tony says, "Capsicle". The thought made me shiver.

"Well, it's a good thing I already packed, then." I stated.

"You package things for such an occasion?" Thor asked loudly, his voice ringing in my ears. We nodded painfully. "Why? In Asgard, when we journey away from our humble homes, we travel deep into the forest as a survival test. It's mostly for warriors who want to prove themselves. However when we do so, we survive with nothing but our keen wits and without-"

"That's fantastic, Thor. Thank you." Natasha interrupted him, either not wanting to hear the rest in fear of he'd say something not to be told in a lady's presence, or just not really caring.

I opened up a cabinet. Bowls. Well, I did need one. I took a plastic one from the stack and carried to my next stop. When I got to the cabinet that was supposed to be filled with cereal, I found that it was empty. No Fruity Pebbles, no Lucky Charms, nothing but…Poptarts? Yeah, I said it was empty, I know. But it was empty for cereal. I didn't mention the overflowing cabinet of toaster pastries, I just stared at the contents for a moment, glanced knowingly at the mighty thunderer who loved said pastries, and pulled the doors shut. Well, that did it for cereal. Maybe something else was in order. I had wanted to try out a new recipe.

"Hey," I addressed the room awkwardly, talking over the slurping of Natasha's coffee. "Had anybody eaten breakfast, yet?"

Agent Romanoff shook her head silently, Dr. Banner twitched, and Thor nodded.

"I have participated in the Breaking of the Fast. However, I am always hungry!" Thor informed us with a smile.

"Why?" Natasha asked me, a little suspiciously.

"I was thinking about making French toast." I answered.

"Toast from France?" Thor inquired. "But if it is from France, how is it not rotten when it gets here?"

"No, Thor, it's a style of cooking, not a title of origin." I replied.

"Oh, I see." Thor looked to the floor, lost in thought. He then bellowed heartily, "It sounds like a feast!" and lifted his fist into the air.

"I think it sounds good, too, Rogers." Natasha agreed.

"Fire up the stove, Steve!" Bruce piped up randomly and uncharacteristically from his hibernation, making each of us jump. His clenched hand was raised weakly in the air. The doctor's arm faltered and fell, along with his heavy head. (His head was probably filled with useful information, unlike Tony's. Nonetheless, Tony is my friend, so I didn't say anything.)

"…Okay then!" I gave a battle cry before launching myself to the towards the ingredient cupboard.

In the cupboard, I found all of the needed components for my concoction. All that was missing was the bread, which I discovered on the counter beside of the toaster. Also, next to the toaster was a bag of bagels. I wondered if I could prepare them like French toast, but dismissed the thought as I turned on my heel.

I found a pair of eggs in the fridge and broke them into the bowl, closely examining the yolks for tiny fragments of shell that may have fallen in. Adding a few other ingredients, I stirred it all up and tossed a piece of bread in. I then dashed to the stove and set the bowl on the counter to the right. After the bread was pretty well soaked I fished it out of the eggy goo with a fork and set it out onto the hot griddle. It sizzled and bubbled until I flipped it up into the air. It landed back onto the griddle on its opposite side, the sound effects reoccurring upon impact. The scent was mouth watering as it wafted throughout the room. Thor peeked over my shoulder or past my arm from the three-yard distance between the stove and the toaster.

"Don't worry, Thor. I'm sure your food will be prepared properly." Agent Romanoff joked.

I laughed as well, "Yeah, you're making me nervous!"

I continued to slap pieces of egg-soaked toast onto the griddle and the bread sputtered and splattered all over my apron that said, "Kiss the Captain". (It was a gift meant as a prank from _anonymous. _I pretend to like it to prove that I wouldn't give into their evilness.)

Once I finally had at least ten pieces of toast on the serving plate (which only took a few minutes), I walked the food to the table. Upon the clink of the table and plate's collision Bruce snapped to attention and grabbed a plate from the stack of disks in the center. As swiftly as the platter had touched the table, Thor snatched a piece of toast. He eyed it on his plate suspiciously and waited patiently for instructions on how to eat it. Natasha gingerly reached for a morsel for herself and placed it delicately on her plate. She slathered it in butter and syrup, then cut it up into bite-sized pieces.

Thor watched, learned, and copied Agent Romanoff like a child would its mother, only with clumsier movements. He buttered and syruped the piece before wolfing it down his gullet feverishly. The Asgardian lifted his head and smiled, his cheeks stuffed full and his facial hair sticky with maple sugary topping.

He swallowed, remembering his manners under Natasha's stare, and cried out, "ANOTHER!" at the top of his lungs.

We all grinned back.

A minute later, Tony and Clint stumbled out of the elevator, half asleep. I assumed they had been awakened by Thor's delighted scream.

"What the heck is with all the racket?" Tony grumbled at us sleepily.

Well, I was right. Okay, so he didn't say those _exact _words. I just don't want to repeat them.

_You can't be as tired as Dr. Banner, _I thought, bugged by the grouchy tone, _he actually needs this vacation. A little R and R would do him a lot of good. _

"Friend Steve has made the most joyous of treats! It is the toast of the French!" Thor answered happily, stuffing more of the breakfast food into his maw.

"Toast of the French…?" Tony pondered aloud, tapping his chin and looking to the ceiling.

There was a snoring noise coming from Clint, who hung his head and was doubled over while still managing to stay on his feet.

"French toast," Natasha corrected from her chair.

"French toast?" he repeated, his face changing from tired and grouchy to flabbergasted glee in a matter of seconds. Tony immediately recaptured his cool and relaxed. He acted "macho" as he strolled around the table to grab a plate and parked himself beside of his "science brother" Bruce. Tony grabbed a piece and muttered, "This'll keep everybody outta my Poptarts."

So those must've been Tony's toaster pastries I found crammed in the cabinet… Now I felt sorry about how I mentally accused Thor. Then again, _part _of the Poptarts could have been Thor's and the two were stashing them together. Tony put his toppings on the food, took a bite, and gave a "hm" of approval. I smiled as he warfed the rest down, unlike his usually dainty self.

Following the rule of "the cook eats last" I waited until Clint had finally joined us at the table before fixing a plate for myself.

"So, what are you guys gonna do first on the cruise?" Tony asked.

"Well, with _your _credit card, I'm gonna find the hang gliders and fly!" Clint pushed his arms out and pretended to be a bird, soaring in the wind currents.

"Oh, then you _will _be part hawk!" Tony laughed before catching the_ credit card _part. "Hold on. _My _credit card?"

We ignored him and Natasha continued, "Well I for one am going to relax on my day off. Just me, a cheap lawn chair, and a novel!"

She was teeming with excitement and her voice was full of wistfulness.

"I would like to know what this 'Cruise of Vacation' is and inquire what makes it so attractive to you mortals." Thor added.

"Actually, I'm with Natasha on this one. A little R and R or maybe a bit of shuffleboard…It would do both me and the Big Green Guy a world of good." Bruce put in, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck and studied the floor.

"Captain?" Tony addressed me after a short moment of silence. "What are you going to do?"

I looked around my group of friends, who all had their eyes upon me. I knew this was another of Stark's jokes to try and irritate me. After feeling the full wrath of their gazes, I spoke up.

"I'm not really sure yet," I blurted. "I hardly know what in the world we're doing!"

I watched as both Tony and Clint opened their mouths to say something when a small static-filled beep entered the room.

"_Mister Stark, sir, Miss Potts requests your presence. She says that 'it is time to pack your undergarments'."_ JARVIS reported loudly.

While we snickered (with the exception of Thor) Tony blushed profusely and zipped onto the elevator.

"Thanks, JARVIS," the volatile Stark growled through gritted teeth as the lift doors closed.

We laughed as hard as our lungs and stomachs would allow without busting. Oh, poor Tony. However, I knew it wouldn't be long until he made us rue the day we giggled at Anthony E. Stark.

* * *

At the docks, I was a little nervous. Why? Well, for one thing, there were _a lot _of people scurrying around, trying to get to wherever they were supposed to be. Some looked like sailors, some were fishermen dressed in waterproof jumpsuits, and others were just vacationers like us, wearing tropical themed attire. I nervously walked behind a few of the others, Tony taking the lead with Pepper at his side. I pulled my shield up over my shoulder and up to my chin in an act of shyness. I'd never seen so many people other than when I was fighting in World War II. Tony and Pepper confidently strode along in their in-style shades. I think my defensive body language was seen by Tony, who glanced back at me and grinned.

"Chilax, Capsicle," Tony said, half reassuring, half provoking. "Don't melt in the sun."

I scowled at him all the way up to the ramp of the ship. We then got into a two-by-two line like Noah's Ark. Soon, we were on the deck of a huge ship. Yet again there were people _everywhere. _It was almost like a bee hive, all of the worker bees buzzing around the festively decorated boat. Out yonder was the deep blue ocean, the waves crashing into the legs of the docks and knocking themselves back into the midst of the mysterious waters. And we had to spend a whole _week _on this over-sized fishing boat.

"C'mon, we'd better find our rooms so that we can dump our luggage off before we set sail." Agent Romanoff told us, eager to begin her spare time.

Then, we were the scurriers, sprinting off in our big group (Loki included, he's just quiet) to hunt down the quarters in which we would be staying. What could possibly go wrong now?

* * *

**Thanks for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm glad you've enjoyed the previous chapter and hope you like this one as well. Please review, and I'll do my best to update! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

On board, I found myself inside of the most…well, expensive looking hotel room I'd ever seen in my extended life. It was huge with a red and yellow color scheme. I gaped at four mahogany walls that looked freshly painted. There were white, horizontal lines running through the middle of each wall, golden stars and borders on top of them. The flooring was carpet until it reached the bathroom, where it transitioned into tile.

I plopped down onto the bed, feeling the soft, red comforter pull me in and cool my fingers. I then sat up (although I really didn't want to) and looked out of a tiny, circular window. Outside, boats scuttled by on the deep, dark saltwater and fishermen relaxed on the shore with baited lines. At least that was familiar.

I began pulling things out of my suitcase and unpacking. My Captain America suit I hung up in a small closet by itself. It draped from the hanger like a wet towel, except for being damp. I folded the tight pants that went with the suit and placed them in a heap underneath my red boots and gloves. The mask I placed on the bedpost. It was kind of dumb, bringing a mask when everybody already knew who I was. Nonetheless, I brought it anyway, although it had no significance. I placed my toothbrush on the bathroom sink and glanced at myself in the mirror.

I ran my fingers across the side of my face, feeling the friction of tiny pieces of facial hair. Dang, I needed a shave…

After a while, I had finally situated myself on the bed for a short bat nap when somebody came rapping on the door. I sighed deeply and reluctantly shuffled over to the door.

"Yes?" I called through the door.

"Yo, Cap!" Agent Barton's muffled voice hollered. "The rest of us are going to the pool! You comin' with us?"

With a short pause of contemplation, I replied, "Yeah, I'm coming."

I opened the door and found Clint standing in the dimly-lit hall, half smiling. (Let's face it, him and Natasha don't grin that much.) He wore only a pair of shorts and sandals with a water toy in his left hand. Back in my day, when we went swimming or to the beach, we'd be a little more modest with our choice of clothing.

"What's that?" I asked, referring to the item in his hand.

He glanced down at the object, then looked back at me, pointing at it. His smile grew mockingly wider.

"It's called a boogie board, Grandpa." he replied bluntly. Gosh, he sounded a lot like Tony when he said that! "Why aren't you in a pair of trunks?"

I stared at him for a moment, lost on the words "boogie board". For a split second, I thought he'd said "booger board". With all of the strange inventions these days, I wouldn't put it past the scientists to give their creations peculiar names like that. I blinked a couple times, trying to think of what he had just mentioned.

"Oh, who me?" I inquired dumbly. Of course he was talking to me; I was the only one standing with him in the hall! "Er, I uh…didn't pack a swimsuit." I told him.

Clint gave a curt nod and turned on his heel. I followed him down the hall, twiddling my thumbs and watching my feet step out in front of me. I had attempted to wear shorts and a T-shirt; decent attire for hot weather. I had a sketchpad in hand, a plausible excuse for not wanting to hop in the pool. I've had this sort of distaste for water (it's just swimming or wading that I really don't take too much interest in) ever since I was frozen and promptly waited many years to be thawed. Plus, I sink like a rock because of all the muscle I gained from the super-soldier serum. Hence, I saw no point.

When we arrived at the pool, I was surprised to see that everyone was in a skimpy outfit of some sort. It was like imagining a crowd in their underwear, except your enigma is real. I probably looked very out of place to most people (like I do _everywhere._) A large man from the nineteen-forties doesn't really blend in too well, no matter how hard I try.

Clint and I went our separate ways. Agent Barton headed for the diving board while I found comfort in a nice lawn chair. I opened the sketchbook and took a pencil from my pocket. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar, faint, blue glow. I turned my head quickly to find a rather strange sight. Stranger than people running around in public in their underwear. Tony Stark not enjoying himself with the crowd. He held a childish magazine with his favorite character on the cover: a yellow kitchen sponge in dungarees. How odd. Not the magazine, but the fact that Tony was not participating in a good time.

"Hey, Tony!" I called, my curiosity peaked. He turned his head to me and his amused grin disappeared.

"What?" he yowled, sounded irritated by my mere presence.

I raised a brow and ignored his snappy tone. "Why aren't you in the pool? It's not like you to miss a good time."

Tony seemed prepared as he explained, "Oh, this stupid arc reactor doesn't agree with water. Basically, if I hop in the pool, I'll electrocute myself and everybody else in there. I don't wanna hurt any of those pretty ladies."

I nodded, not really caring for the last sentence. That answered that. Poor ol' Tony. But then it occurred to me that he spilled liquids on himself all the time. Tony spilled soda, beer, milk, _and _water on himself when he was having one of those clumsy days. What made this so different except for being on purpose?

I shrugged and continued to scribble in my book. When I glimpsed at the water, Agent Barton drifted to the side, reaching for the shore. He soaked the surface as he touched it, the water seeping inland. It was like watching fast-forwarded ice take over a pond in a wave. Barton smiled slyly and yelled, "Hey, 'Tasha!"

Impulsively, Black Widow lifted her chin from a flowery novel. With a powerful swing of his arm and careful aim, Clint slung water onto the red-head. The wet lady growled and stood up. She dropped the novel on the ground, the book waterlogged and ruined. He fists clenched and I could've sworn that there was smoke coming out of her ears. She stormed to the pool. Clint had seen the upcoming danger and dove into the depths of the water, foolishly thinking that he could escape. Furiously, Natasha launched in, not considering that she could wait for Hawkeye to run out of air before beating the crud out of him.

Just seconds after Agent Romanoff's plunge, she surfaced with a limp bundle on her arm. She glared daggers and tossed the soaked heap onto dry land. It wouldn't move an inch, dripping wet.

"Breathe, you wimp." Natasha commanded coldly. The lump began to cough and sputter, revealing that it was still (miraculously) alive.

Agent Barton was soaked to the bone. He lifted his chin pitifully to show a shiny, brand-new black eye and a freshly cut bottom lip. His nose was bloody, probably broken.

"Alright, Clint! Time for round two!" Agent Romanoff warned.

I covered my view of the massacre with my sketchpad, but peeked over just enough to see what was going on. Clint scrambled to his feet and slipped and skidded around the pool in yet another attempt to leave the area. Natasha stood still and counted to ten, watching her frightened friend run over some poor shuffle boarders and disappear around the corner. She laughed and settled back down into her chair, where she replaced the book she had with a shiny duplicate. The red-head then put a plastic cover over the novel and slipped on some shades.

Tony and I could only uncomfortably bury our noses in our books.

"What? Haven't you guys ever heard of being Clint-proof?" She turned her head to Tony, who stuck his tongue out and made faces behind her. "Or Stark-proof," she teased.

Tony leaned in towards Natasha and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "C'mon, you can't resist-"

"Do that one more time and the eyebrows come off!" she threatened, her knuckles drawn and her playful mood gone with the wind.

Tony shivered, pulled himself back into the chair and held his magazine over his face protectively. Pepper walked by and sat on his feet, but the magazine did not waver and the creepy sponge stared at me with an unnerving never-ending-smile.

We all read and talked for a while, Tony being encouraged by Pepper to finally join the conversation. He was conscious of what he said, I noticed. Was he really that frightened that someone would take his eyebrows?

"Hey, anybody seen Big Green and Scary?" Tony asked jokingly.

I was slow on the uptake, "Who's-?"

"_Bruce _said that he was tired and busy, so I left him be." Natasha told us, stressing Dr. Banner's name so that I'd get it.

That gave me a real _duh _feeling. Tony closed his magazine and sat up in his lawn chair. He stood, stretched, and sighed.

"Well, I think I might go find the Hulkster. I'm hoping that he didn't start the plans for that Nuclear…" I kind of stopped listening after "nuclear". I wasn't exactly science-educated. Tony began to walk away casually, but no matter how normal Stark could seem, he was and always would be the exact opposite. Natasha and I exchanged suspicious glances as Pepper gripped tightly to Tony's hand. Tony slipped away, Pepper calling after him and blowing a kiss. Agent Romanoff grimaced at the romance and relaxed in her chair.

"Eh, let him go." she assured us. "S'not like he can get us in _that _much trouble here."

_Right, _my gut told me. I just hoped that the captain had planned ahead and had enough lifeboats in case the Hulk went on a rampage. I shuddered at the thought. I trusted Bruce with his other half, but there were some close calls. Falling into the ocean or letting innocent people die to such a fate wasn't exactly my vacation plan.

A few hours later, I found myself and the other Avengers (and Loki) in the captain's cabin with a com-link connected directly to Fury. Each of us scowled at Tony knowingly. Clint snickered and covered a smile, but his eyes scrunched up, giving his amusement away.

"Barton! Wipe that idiotic smirk off your face before I come there and do it myself!" Fury snarled like a drill instructor.

Clint straightened up and shut up. A grin still crept up onto his face like ivy crawling up a hickory tree.

Nick Fury trained his one, cold eye on us all. I was pretty sure that if there was another eye still under that eye patch, it would penetrate its dark covering completely. The captain beside of the screen set his jaw and glowered. A couple of crew members stood dignified like soldiers at the other side of the monitor.

"Can anybody tell me _why _in the heck there's glue on the steering wheel of the ship and on the doors of the bathroom stalls?!" Fury interrogated. (Okay, he didn't really say "heck", but I don't exactly like to write that stuff in.)

"What?" I yelped in shock. Those poor people! Trapped inside a public bathroom! What kind of inconsiderate…I turned.

Tony and Clint held their breath while the rest of the team glared at Loki. The god of mischief raised his head, finally getting the gist that all eyes were on him. He glanced around the room like a kicked puppy.

"You _surely _don't believe that _I _am the culprit of such heinous crimes!" he straightened, looking purely insulted.

"Thy meaneth it was not you?" Thor inquired, sounding rather confused himself.

Loki gave a dirty look to his step-brother.

"Of course not! I don't even know what in the nine realms _glue _is!" he grinned ever-so-slightly, "And I call _you _the simpleton, Thor."

Thor remained calm, as if the words had never been spoken. There was, however, a tiny smile that pushed Thor's cheek to the side. Fury scanned each of us until his eye rested upon Clint and Tony.

"What? Me?"Tony threw his hands in the air like he'd been caught at a crime scene. "Since when do _I _cause trouble?"

I rolled my eyes and groaned.

"Since you were born," Natasha remarked.

"Pft, got that right!" Clint agreed, receiving and elbow in the stomach from Tony. "Ow-how!" he whimpered.

"I have a lot of work to do, so I'll make this brief: no more shenanigans! Got it?" Nick warned.

I saluted respectfully and nodded with the rest of the team.

"Yes, sir, no shenanigans." I confirmed and awaited the moment we were dismissed eagerly.

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**Hooray! Chapter three! Thank you for the previous reviews, and I hope I get new ones! If you're wondering where Loki and Thor were, I would say perhaps exploring the ship. You can come up with your own explanation. Also, I hope this answers _Olympus97_'s question about Tony being afraid of water. Although, I don't think Mr. Stark would ever admit if he is or isn't. By the way, Steve isn't really saying he's afraid of water, he only has a distaste for it. ;) ****  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Over the course of two whole days, we'd been in the captain's cabin at least eight times, not including the first time. Apparently, somebody had: clogged every single toilet on board (even in the women's restroom, which I found hard to believe), stuffed ping-pong balls inside of all the medicine cabinets, placed whoopee cushions in various places throughout the ship, dyed the swimming pool and on-board aquarium water green (the poor maintenance people; it took them a while to figure out that that wasn't algae covering the tank), and taped a "hug me" sign on Thor's back (in which, upon being mobbed, Thor zapped everyone within a perimeter of five feet; Loki watched in shocked amusement). The prankster(s) also took my shield and let the children play with it, telling them that it was a Frisbee. I chased it frantically as it flew through the air gracefully. In the process of pursuit, my shield whacked me in the forehead, causing a long and loud ring to echo throughout the ship and my skull. I began to see stars appear and the whole world fell into darkness as I went unconscious. When I woke up, I was in a coffee shop. There was a handwritten sign on the front door that read, "Meet with Steve Rogers and get FREE coffee!" My heart beat wildly like a tiger trying to escape a circus cage as I raced to find an exit.

I skidded to a halt when I found fans lined up at the door, making the glass crack under the force of many hands pushing at it. On the bright side, the people outside were elated. The bad news: the glass broke. People and shards of glass descended upon me, resulting in a short trip to Bruce's room. Dr. Banner diagnosed me with a shoulder and elbow out of place on each arm, along with several bumps and bruises and scrapes all over. Bruce helped me pop my shoulder and elbow back into their rightful places before giving the cliché order: "Now you just relax and take it easy and everything will be just fine."

I nodded, "Thanks, Doc," and went on my merry way.

I'll tell you, I was a bit more aware of my surroundings after the incident. Instead of watching my feet as they struck out before me, I paid attention to who was doing what and where. I scanned the hall and scurried to my room warily in a swift streak of red, white, and blue. I pressed the door closed and sighed. Then, just my luck: _Knock knock knock! _

"Oh, good lord," I mumbled under my breath. I turned sharply to the entrance/exit of my temporary home and peered through the peephole. "Who is it?"

"The pizza man!" came Tony's irritated, but teasing voice from the other side. From the overhead view of the peephole, I could see the shorter man's dark mound of grease-filled hair. Beside him was Pepper, her nose buried in a notebook she was writing important things in. Tony lifted his head to peek through the peephole as well, his brown eye growing at an alarming rate, startling me. "It's the awesomest guy on the face of the planet, that's who!"

I opened the door slowly, my nonexistent smile having even less of a chance of appearing. Tony stood inches from the threshold, his arms crossed and expression disapproving.

"What's going on, Tony?" I inquired, trying to silently ask him to cease his foot tapping. It reminded me of Thumper the Bunny.

"Furry called another freaking meeting with the captain." He paused, the noise of his toes against the hallway carpet stopping briefly while he thought. He then looked me in the eye, a grin threatening the corners of his lips. "Not you, 'captain'; the ship's 'captain'." he clarified.

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, Stark," I grumbled as I squeezed past him towards the captain's cabin. My thoughts swam past the coral reef that was my brain. Actually, when I saw coral reefs on TV, it always reminded me of brains… Er, anyway… I wondered what would happen if-no, scratch that–_when_ we got into too much trouble. No more dining in the dining hall? Or maybe, no more room service? Most of my thoughts seemed to be about food, I noted. My stomach growled and I clutched it, realizing that I hadn't eaten anything this morning amid all of the confusion. I tried to ignore my hunger and Tony's fierce comments about this and that. To make sure that he wouldn't be suspicious to my inattentiveness, I threw in a "Uh-huh," every now and again. I thought it was funny when Pepper began doing the same exact thing. Soon we found ourselves in the all-too-familiar captain's cabin. We filed into place along with the others, our frequent visits becoming routine. I felt like a kid being shunned to the principal's office. Nicky Fury, "the principal", flashed onto the screen. He seemed rather POed, even with the view of the _back_ of his head.

"What?" Fury whipped around impatiently.

"It seems we have a CAATT situation, Director." The captain spoke in code. "_Again._" he added grimly.

Fury's steely gaze seemed to say more when he blandly mustered, "Don't let it happen again," like the last seven times.

This time, though, he looked as if he had a secret to tell, but you'd die before you got to it. It was the way he didn't draw out a whole speech about self control like a teacher that gave it away. He wasn't acting like himself. However, it wasn't my place to question, so I simply replied, "Yes, Sir."

It still kept bugging me that Fury _wanted _us to be on this trip. Loki had a point earlier: Fury didn't care about what _we _wanted, did he? Or maybe that was just Loki's vengeful spirit and "silver tongue" trying to manipulate an Avengers coup against Fury. Either way, there was something going on.

When the Nick Fury Show ended, we all began to walk away as if nothing had happened.

"Stop!" the captain yelled. We obeyed with only silent question written on all of our faces. The captain stood very still as if he were evaluating us. Finally, he said, "Follow me."

It wasn't a request, either, it was a _command. _So, off we went. No arguing. No rude comments. Not even a snarky, no, make that _Starky _comment from Tony. We followed the heavier man through the ship, in and out of various _staff only _corridors and rooms. Soon, we came to an old, dreadfully forgotten deck. Its floorboards were worn and creaked under our weight; they looked like they had at least an inch thick of dust on them! We all exchanged confused glances with each other. The captain continued, nonetheless, to the edge of the boat. I remained at the back of our little group, preferring to listen to the waves crash against the side of the boat rather than watch them. The captain used an elderly pulley system, the rope withered and looking like it would give way any moment now. At the end of the thick twine was a small boat, not much bigger than one you'd go fishing in. The captain turned around after securing the diminutive lifeboat.

"Listen, folks," he began. His face was sober, but I could see a crazed, unsettling gleam in his eyes. He sighed sympathetically, but it was almost an empty gesture. "I know that you're all famous heroes, but I can't take all of these complaints anymore! I just can't! I was a young lad myself, once, and I love to laugh and have fun but"-he shook his head-"you have to know when to quit. For crying out loud, you're ruining this cruise's reputation! I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to toss ya overboard."

My eyes widened. And I thought that "throwing someone overboard" was just a modern day expression. I didn't know that people were actually tossed over the side of ships!

"Wait," Tony stopped, trying to regain his composure. He then began to chuckle. "Oh, I get it! You're totally kidding! Okay, joke's over! Are we on Candid Camera? Smile everyone!" The captain's serious expression wouldn't waver. "R-right?" Tony sounded scared.

The captain only stepped aside and motioned toward the lifeboat with a slow sweep of his arm. He was serious. We filed into a line and hopped from the ship to the tinier vessel. Tony and I were the last ones, and I let the shorter man go first. He glumly obliged. As he walked cautiously behind Pepper, I noticed how he closely examined each step as if to make sure his feet were placed accordingly. I shook my head. Right then, I came to a halt as a thought occurred to me.

"Oh, crud! I forgot my shield!" I blurted, achieving strange looks from the others. I couldn't believe I'd remembered the blasted thing!

The captain, after pursing his lips in a short thought process, nodded to one of his crewmen who ran off towards the cabin. Within two minutes he returned, the item in question in hand. I thanked him and attached my weapon on my left arm and fearfully jumped off the larger vessel. The boat bobbed unsteadily with all of us in it. The captain peeked over the side of the ship and looked sorrowful. Yet, it was another empty emotion. I couldn't figure out why, but between the captain and director, I didn't know who was acting funnier. And it wasn't "funny haha".

"Sorry it has to be this way," he called over the spray of the ocean.

"Then why'd ya do it, then?" Tony muttered.

The tiny boat then began to shift and departed unceremoniously from the mother ship. We were sent adrift upon the seven seas.

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**Howdy! Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows! It's super awesome! So, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and next chapter, *spoiler alert* they'll be on an island! I know, it's so cliche! But still! ^^ I am also open to suggestions of scenarios of what will happen to them on their "new vacation spot"! On the boat, or where they land! Please review and tell me whatcha think! And keep reading because its good for you!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"This is all your fault," I insisted to Tony for the fifth time since we'd been kicked off the ship. He sat back-to-back with me as we floated alongside the boat on my shield. I stared out at the deep blue yonder, wondering when this long voyage would end and where. I kept my knees huddled up under my chin, letting only the very tips of the toes of my boots soak in the water.

"I still fail to see _how._" Tony argued as he had the many times before.

I rolled my eyes and was about to yell, but Agent Romanoff beat me to it.

"Oh and pulling stupid pranks on people is going to go over smoothly." Natasha said sarcastically.

Tony opened his mouth to disagree, but Pepper stretched over her book and smacked his shoulder with the tips of her fingers. He whipped around and made a face like a kicked puppy. Pepper innocently buried her nose into her book once again, ignoring the man now poking at her foot every few minutes. Out of the blue, Clint shouted at the top of his lungs excitedly, "LAAANNND!"

He pointed out beyond most of our lines of vision and it took me a minute to remember that he had better eyesight than the average human. If I squinted just right, however, I could just see a spec in the distance that was too big to be a pelican or seagull. Tony settled back down into the dip of my shield and crossed his arms.

"Great job, Clint," he congratulated half-heartedly, "Maybe you should wait until we can _see _it too, so that we don't think you're a complete idiot."

Clint ignored him and continued to gaze out over the ocean. I kept thinking of how much I missed home now. I began to think of sitting at home with today's newspaper, scanning the articles for something important like a proclamation from a well-known bad guy or the whereabouts of some new wave of crime. Just then, my stomach painfully grumbled and complained about its lack of breakfast.

"Ugh," I groaned and instinctively clutched my stomach. "I'm so hungry."

Tony's eyes widened and he scrambled to lean away from me. "Look out, everyone! Steve's going cannibal!"

As soon as I rolled my eyes, Thor objected, "Friend Steven looks nothing like a cannon ball!"

I almost laughed. Loki angled toward Thor and whispered in is ear. Thor's expression contorted into an even worse state of confusion.

"What dost thou mean, brother?" he asked in a lower voice.

Loki sighed and whispered in his half-sibling's ear once again. Thor's eyes widened only slightly and he said, "Oh." He said it as if he would like to erase it from his mind. Loki shrugged.

"And now you know." the mischievous god replied like an educational TV show.

The conversation dropped, so all that could be heard was the sound that most people heard through seashells. And the many birds that circled and spiraled freely through the air. It made me want to sprout wings and fly as well. It also made me wonder why Thor and Loki still hung around. Thor could just take Mjolnir and blast off to see Jane. Loki could call us "useless mortals" and snap his fingers to teleport. Without us in the way, he could probably take over Manhattan very quickly. I shook my head. Bad thought.

Small waves rocked the shield back and forth, making me almost tired. I began to close my eyes when I felt a thump as the shield hit something. I turned my head just in time to hear Clint scream louder than before, "LLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNND!" and smirk at Tony triumphantly.

Tony winced and scowled. "Oh, ha ha. I get it."

Clint beamed and walked off to join Natasha up the beach. Tony stood and brushed some wet sand that clung to his skin and clothes. I picked up my shield and pulled it up over my shoulder like a backpack. Pepper daintily stepped out of the small boat and kept very calm. However, upon passing by Tony she didn't smile, frown, or acknowledge his existence. Pepper stepped right up the beach.

Then, Miss Natasha came back. She clenched her fists that I imagined were as hard as rocks and yowled, "I am going to kill you with a piece of sand!"

Tony leaned away, but seemed completely calm as he said, "Okay, first of all, it's a _grain _of sand. Not piece. Secondly, I'm not sure that's even physically _possible. _Three-"

I elbowed my way between them before Tony was brutally murdered and then some.

"Three, nobody's killing anybody. We need to build a shelter and find some food." I commanded.

"Aw, Steve _does _care!" Tony teased.

I stalked off inland, scanning the edge of the thick woods for stray sticks. I hoped for at least enough to build a couple small lean-tos. Then we could share or something.

"Shouldn't we build a fire first?" Pepper reminded, sitting idly on the beach and watching everyone work.

"Oh, right." I said. I did my best to gather our disorderly group together. "Okay," I picked up a stick and waved it around for absolutely no reason. "We're splitting up into groups."

"Woah woah woah woah." Tony held up his hands in a halting motion. "Who died and made _you _King of the Shipwreck? I didn't!" Pepper picked up another random stick and thwapped Tony over the head with it. "Ouch! But Pepper! You could've been the _Queen _of the Shipwreck!"

"Anyway," I continued, resisting the urge to roll my eyes or yell. "We're splitting into small groups. Natasha and Clint, you're in charge of finding food. Thor and Pepper will be in charge of finding firewood. Bruce, you can come with me to find things for a shelter. Tony and Loki, you guys can make an S.O.S. sign."

Everyone exchanged glances with their group buddies and nodded. I dipped my head in dismissal and we all ran off to fulfill our duties.

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**Hehehe, short chapter! :) Thanks for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter! I'm having a bit of writer's block, so I wanted to get this part posted so that you know I'm not dead! ;D BTdubs, please review! *hint hint* *nudge nudge***


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Would you _shut up?!" _cried an infuriated Loki after about the tenth time of Tony's singing of the song "S.O.S."

Clint had joined in, making it even more annoying. Don't get me wrong; I like a good song every now and again. Heck, I love music. But when you hear the same song about eleven times in one day, you kind of want your ears to fall off. Through the dim light of the campfire I saw Tony smirk evilly. Oh no.

"So, you're tired of this song, eh, Lokster?" Tony asked.

Loki crossed his arms and grunted. "I'm tired of you _period_. I'm tired of all of you."

Tony laughed, "Somebody gets gwumpy when he's tired!"

For one glorious moment, there was no singing. One, beautifully silent moment, filled only with the sound of Loki growling and glaring at Tony. Tony smirked back, cocky as usual. Then, Tony had to ruin the rare silence by speaking again.

"Well, I guess we have to quit singing, Clint." Tony proclaimed sadly. I could've sworn the crickets breathed a sigh of relief. "_That song! _I have a new song! Ready, Clint? Let's gather 'round the campfire and sing our campfire song!"

"Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song!" Agent Barton joined in. "And if you don't think that we can sing it faster then you're wrong! But it'll help if you just sing a-long!"

"Oh no. Not that song. Anything _but _that song!" Loki complained, plugging his ears with his fingers.

Thor listened and rocked back and forth like a metronome. "Bum…bum…bum…" he hummed in bass.

Stark and Barton both took a breath before singing as fast as they could, "C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G SONG! C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G SONG! AND IF YOU DON'T THINK THAT WE CAN SING IT FASTER THEN YOU'RE WRONG, BUT IT'LL HELP IF YOU JUST SING A-LONG! C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G SONG! THOR!"

The thunder god looked from face to face, confused, then tried to sing as fast as the other two. His tongue tripped him as he atempted to spell "campfire".

"SONG! C-A-M-P-F-"

"LOKI!" Tony yelled and pointed at the mischief maker. Loki remained silent and scowled at them. "GOOD!"

Then, Clint and Tony began the finale, "IT'LL HELP! IT'LL HE-E-ELP! IF YOU JUST SING A-LOOOOOONNNG!"

And with a pretend smash of a guitar, Tony screamed, "OH YEAH!"

Loki looked as though he'd blast them both if he could, Thor seemed confused yet amused, Natasha was trying her best to ignore them both and Pepper slapped Tony in the back of the head.

"You two need to watch less Spongebob." Pepper growled.

Tony rubbed the nape of his neck and winced. "What else are we supposed to sing? Kumbayah?" he snickered, earning another hit from Pepper.

"How about we listen to the song of nature?" I suggested, tuning in on the noise all around.

Crickets chirped out a melody with other creatures out in the dark. The ocean pushed and pulled waves back and forth, making them crash and wash seashells up on the shore. The moon dowsed the sand and trees with an almost eerie blue light. I watched the fire burn. The flames cackled with delight as they devoured the wood and leaves we'd managed to scrounge up.

"Booorrrring!" Tony declared, throwing himself backwards into the sand. "I decree we sing another song!" he pointed to the sky and spoke in a fake voice.

Everyone gasped. "NO MORE SPONGEBOB!"

Tony put up his hands defensively, "No worries. This won't be a Spongebob song, I promise." His eyes flicked from face to face, finally landing on me. "It's not going to be a Spongebob song, because Steve's picking the song! He's the perfect killjoy! I doubt he even knows who 'Bob of the Square Pants' is!"

I rolled my eyes. "Tony, I'm not picking a-"

"What's that?" Tony teased, cupping his hand behind his ear. "'Cause all I hear is bok bok bogaa, Captain Chicken!"

Okay, that wasn't nice. So, like the decent and civilized person I was, I stood up. And I took a deep breath. Heck, I counted to ten! But, none of that worked. I raced around the fire after Tony, who hopped up on a log and jumped the fire. I was smart enough to at least jump to the side past the flames before continuing the attempt of murdering Stark. I mean, there was a big chance that I'd land smack in the middle of the fire if I tried to hop over it.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Tony shrieked, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

"TAKE IT BACK!" I yelled.

"NEVER!" he yelled back, flapping his arms around like a chicken, trying to provoke me.

I chased Stark all the way down the beach and back, relentless. My daily jogging exercises apparently served me well, because I was able to sprint fast and not even break into a sweat. Of course, I didn't _really _want to kill Tony. I just wanted him to know that I wasn't going to stand for his name-calling and provoking. Well, technically, I did stand up… Never mind!

Tony and I made it back to our little campsite and the coward hid behind Pepper. Stark peered over Miss Potts' shoulder.

"Here! Take the woman and let me live!" he cried, a little dramatically, if you ask me.

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"My hero…" she muttered.

I turned away and stepped back over to where I had been sitting before and parked myself there. Tony came out from behind his girlfriend but didn't leave her side. He was wary of me for the next few minutes until he was finally satisfied that I was going to stay in one spot. Thor began to hum a tune out of the blue. It sounded almost sad until the tempo picked up and Thor began tapping his foot and dancing in his seat. Now it sounded triumphant.

"What _are _you humming?" Loki stared up at his brother, who continued to groove in his seat.

Thor smiled wide. "I am humming the traditional song of Valhalla's Victors! Not that you would know!" Thor gave a hearty laugh, annoying the crud out of Loki who scowled in the other direction.

Thor sang his short song of excitement and heroes. He would thrash about with silly hand motions and expressions, all telling a part of a mighty journey's story. Thor imitated trolls, gremlins, serpents, and other mythological creatures. In one story, Thor threw his whole body into motion, spinning around the fire. The flame's hot claws reached out for the thunder god, trying to catch him as he boogied. With a long, loud, final note Thor did a spiraling leap over the blaze. Abruptly, the flames increased, growing at least six feet tall. Thor landed on the other side in a finishing pose perfectly…except for the fact that his trousers and hair were now ignited and burning.

"ODIN'S BEARD!" Thor hollered and dashed around our little circle. "HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT!"

"Thor! Stop, drop, and roll!" Bruce called.

Thor stopped, dropped his hammer, and rolled it in the sand. Then, he resumed his running and screaming.

"THAT DID NOT HELP ME AT ALL! WHY DO THEY CALL YOU A DOCTOR?!"

"Sprint to the ocean, Thunder Boy!" Tony yelled.

Thor did so, doing a belly flop into the water. He doused the flames in cold salt water and sat there in the shallows. He looked so relieved.

"Thank you, Mr. Starkson." He said.

When Thor joined us back on the beach, the tips of his blonde locks were charred and the seat of his pants was completely burned away. I saw Tony, Loki, and Clint all try to stifle a chuckle while the rest of us shielded our eyes. Thor sat down and looked around curiously.

"What is wrong, friends?" he asked.

"Er, uh, nothing, big guy. Everything's fine." Tony choked out right before bursting into laughter.

"Ooh! I have an idea!" shouted Clint after five full minutes of the giggles. "Since we probably won't get any sleep anyway, let's tell scary stories!"

We all gave it a little thought. He was right about one thing: sleeping out here wouldn't be easy. The ambiance in the background was soothing, but the bedding was rough.

"Eh, sure. A few little bedtime stories shouldn't hurt." Natasha shrugged.

Clint laughed evilly and wrung his hands, hunched over the fire. "_Exellent," _

Tony stood too and the twosome began spinning a tale of creepiness. It went a little something like this…

_Alone in a field stood a young boy and his two siblings. The boy named Simon shivered in the cool autumn night's air. He donned a sweater and stared off into the stars, wishing just slightly that he'd stayed home. His brothers, Chase and Tom, stood skeptically to the side, gazing at the moon. _

"_Simon, face it, the 'aliens' aren't real. You shoulda just went to bed." Chase said._

"_Yeah," Tom added, "You're gonna stand here all night just to get pneumonia."_

_Simon seemed discouraged and his posture slumped just slightly. He looked out along the field, the moonlight casting an eerie blueish glow across the way. When the wind blew, the grass moved in waves, making it seem like an ocean. He felt so bad about bringing his brothers out here now. He'd seen strange colored lights out here several times before. He'd also seen a strange figure pass through the trees several times in this general spot. Now, he wasn't so sure. _

"_C'mon, Chase, let's get outta here." Tom mumbled and turned on his heel. _

_Suddenly, from out of n where, an explosion happened. Dirt and dust flew around the three siblings as they were engulfed in a green light. _

"_Tom! Chase!" Simon cried, looking desperately for his brothers amid the confusion. _

_He saw a dark figure behind him and his eyes met a pair of red glowing orbs. The shadow darted for him with such speed that there was no time to register the movement. Simon was knocked down onto his knees. When he turned his head again, the figure was no longer just a silhouette. Now, he could see every detail of its hideous face. The creature was furry and green with a terrible odor omitting from it. Simon reluctantly gasped before being hit with a massive clawed hand. _

_When the three woke up, they were floating in the middle of the ocean with no recollection of last night's events, who they were, or what they were doing there. Eventually, they ended up on an island together, drove each other crazy, and killed one another. _

"And they were _never seen again…" _ Clint finished.

Natasha, who'd been sharpening a stick into a spear with a rock, clapped. "What a great story. Now tell us a scary one."

Tony and Clint gaped at her.

"But that _was _a scary one!" Tony argued.

"I'm an assassin. You're going to have to try a _little _harder to scare me." Natasha told them. She continued to whet the stick carelessly. She then held the point at eye level and handed it over to Clint. "Does this look good enough to hunt with?"

Natasha pressed the stick closer to Clint's nose, making the archer pull his head back to avoid being poked in the eye. He pushed the tip aside with his index finger coolly.

"Er, uh, yeah…Perfect." Clint said.

"Please try not to kill us all in our sleep with it tonight." Tony added, sarcastically rolling his eyes.

Natasha grinned wickedly. "Oh, yes, I am Miss Mass Murderer!" she then glanced around and turned to all of us, "But I'm not the only one you should look out for…"

Clint and Tony looked at each other and squealed with delight, "STORY TIME!"

The two laid on their bellies like children at their grandma's house, waiting for a book to be read or a story to be told. They stared up at Natasha with a frivolous gleam in their eyes. Agent Romanov smiled wider.

"Well…" she began to spin a twisted tale of Handsel and Grettle on an island. Then, a jungle monster found them... "…and everyone on the island was eaten by…THE JUNGLE MONSTER IN THE IRON SUIT!"

Tony and Clint screamed theatrically.

"Wait a second," Tony stopped, "The 'Jungle Monster in the Iron Suit'? Really?"

We all began laughing hard. Tony pouted and kept telling us that it wasn't that funny.

"Y-you're right, Tony," Clint agreed, wiping away a tear. "It's _hilarious_!"

We broke out into the giggles again, Barton falling backwards and writhing in the sand. Even Dr. Banner was snickering at the joke. We continued telling stories around the campfire, enjoying the warmth of the blaze. Thor's stunt reminded us that they could be dangerous, no matter how inviting. So, of course, Loki had to tell a story of a huge creature that spat flames and destroyed Asgard. However, somehow, Loki survived in the story. Thor apparently didn't.

We exchanged glances with one another, the moment growing awkward when Loki added, "Then, the monster went to Midgard and destroyed the Avengers. The Finish."

"Um, don't you mean 'the _end_', Loki?" I asked.

"That is what I said! Clean your ears and maybe you will hear better!" Loki defended.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, okay then."

After a few more stories we all felt the need to go to sleep. I put out the fire, curled up, and fell into a shallow slumber. I woke up at least five times that night. The first four times were for animal noises, the fifth for Thor's loud snoring. My insomnia won over for a little while and I lay there awake for a while, staring at the stars. One streaked across the sky in a blur. A shooting star! I'm not a superstitious person, but I might as well believe in luck now, because that was the only thing we had left. So, I closed my eyes as tight as I could and wished harder than I had as a kid. _I wish we could go home. I wish we could go home. _That made me feel like Dorthy from _The Wizard of Oz: "There's no place like home…There's no place like home…"_

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**Hey, I got that reference! Haha! Finally got this story updated! Thanks for the supportive reviews, faves, and follows! Oh, and at the beginning when they're singing, don't get me wrong, I love Spongebob! I just thought it'd be hilarious if Clint and Tony annoyed the heck out of the others with it like I annoy my friends. Haha! Please tell me what you think of this chapter, too! And remember to keep reading, because it's good for you! XD **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Fatigued, I slowly opened my eyes and yawned. The sun glared into my face, yelling at me to wake up. I felt stiff as I sat up. I peered around the small camp circle, instinctively scanning each person from a distance. I didn't notice anyone missing, yawned again, and threw myself back down into the sand. I then rolled over and dozed. There wasn't anything I could do at the moment, so I just did what the rest of the team was doing. After a short while, I heard a piercing yell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGH!"

I snapped to attention, my eyes wide open in shock. I took a quick glance around the camp. Everyone but Thor and Tony were sitting up and looking around. Clint, I noticed now, was not among the group. Natasha practically jumped off the ground as she sprinted away, seemingly on a mission. She disappeared into the woods, trees and other oversized plants covering her path. Quickly, I got to my feet and chased after her, hearing footsteps behind me as the others pursued as well. My heart raced as well as the thoughts in my mind. We came to a clearing, Natasha bent over Clint protectively. Barton's face was contorted in pain, sweat pouring off him. All around, the undergrowth and some trees were trampled and torn apart. Fruits were splattered everywhere, including coconuts and mangos.

"What happened here?" I heard myself demand.

"Monster," Clint panted, "_Big _monster."

The archer held his left arm in agony. Natasha fretted over it and he clenched his teeth in discomfort. Clint pulled away.

Natasha huffed, "If you don't let me look at it, it's not getting any better!"

"Then I guess it'll be like this forever!" Barton shot back grouchily.

"What did the monster look like?" I cut in, trying to break the tension between teammates.

Clint shook his head. "Don't know. I couldn't see 'im. I was up that tree," he pointed to a coconut tree with his right arm, "trying to scope out the island. You know, get used to the territory. Outta no where there was this roar and the tree shook and I fell." He looked around the clearing and gave a pitiful laugh. "Must've been some creature to have done _this. _Almost as powerful as Green Bean."

All eyes turned to Bruce, who stood shyly at the back of the bunch. Dr. Banner's clothes were torn miserably and fruit stains covered his shirt. He looked a little shocked at us, accusing him of hurting one of the team. Green flecks dotted his brown irises, threatening a Hulk episode. Pepper and Loki took a wary step back from the volatile PhD holder.

"What?" Bruce asked, placing his spectacles on the bridge of his nose.

"Hey, Brucie, have you had any…Hulk-ish feelings lately?" Clint interrogated.

Dr. Banner's eyes went wide. "You think I…? That's absurd!"

"It is a little bit of a stretch." I agreed, trying to reason the others out of arguing. "I mean, the doctor had good control over the Hulk in the last battle."

This time, everyone stared at me like a traitor. I rotated to meet all the eyes that bored into me like a drill, twisting my stomach into knots. I took a deep breath, ready to make a leadership-filled speech when Thor came barreling through the woods with Tony riding on his broad shoulders.

"Yee-haw!" exclaimed Tony. "Woah, Odinson!"

Thor halted on command, getting his hair pulled like reigns on a horse. The mighty thunder god kneeled so that the shorter man could get off of his back. Tony's sandals crunched leaves as he landed and Stark smiled.

"We heard the scream. Did somebody finally kill Loki?" Tony teased, earning a morning scowl from the mischief maker.

"Delayed reaction…" muttered Natasha bitterly.

Tony looked around the clearing and gave a whistle. "It looks like the Hulk's been through here. Or at least a herd of giant angry elephants…"

Dr. Banner slumped and looked like he was trying to sink into the ground. His brown eyes flitted from one place to another, as if he were searching for a place to escape. Thor clapped him forcefully on the back, causing the doctor to gasp in surprise.

"Do not worry, green angry one!" Thor bellowed reassuringly, "We have faith that you shan't trample us all in our sleep!"

Bruce looked nauseated, like he was almost afraid of Thor. Which was understandable; the prince of Asgard was rather buff. Dr. Banner looked through the crowd, acting similar to a caged animal. Thor stepped away to Loki and whispered something to his half-brother. Loki's eyes widened as he stared at Bruce fearfully and took an even bigger step away from the doctor. I couldn't believe this. My team was falling apart.

"Guys!" I commanded their attention with a loud voice and a flail of my arms. "Stop acting so crazy…"

I saw smiles and snickering on everyone's faces as they stared past me. I turned around and Tony was making faces and silly hand motions as I spoke. I glared at him.

"Do you mind?" I growled.

"Not at all. Do you?" he retorted.

I rolled my eyes and grumbled. I walked right into that one.

"Okay, listen: if we can't pull ourselves together, we can't survive. We have to keep our heads on right." I told them. They all nodded. I sighed in relief and instructed them on who was doing what. "We need our hunting party to go out today. We'll also need to go find some more timber."

"Clint can't go," Natasha said, "I have a feeling his arm isn't going to let him use a bow anytime soon."

Barton nodded in painful agreement. I took another look at his broken appendage. I was pretty sure arms didn't bend like that.

"Hey! A chicken with a broken wing!" Tony taunted. Clint glowered at him. "Relax, I'm just kidding."

"For your information, I fell out of a tree. I'm less afraid than you." Clint snapped.

Tony threw his hands up defensively and made an innocent face.

"I shall go on the hunt!" Thor volunteered cheerfully. "My brother and I used to hunt in Asgard for wild boar for dinner! I always beat Loki, though."

"That was because while I perfectly aimed my arrow, you smashed the boar's head with your infuriating hammer!" argued Loki. "It was unfair!"

"No, you are just a sore loser!" Thor chortled.

Loki snarled and wiggled his fingers, enchanting Thor and shape-shifting him into a frog. The amphibian croaked in surprise, standing on Mjolnir and gripping the handle tightly in his little green frog fingers. His yellow eyes bulged a bit more than a normal frog's would as he looked around the group of people.

"Not laughing now, are you?" Loki sneered.

"Change me back!" Thor the frog demanded in a ribbit.

Loki stuck his tongue out childishly. "Fine."

The god of mischief then snapped his fingers, turning Thor into a mouse. The blonde rodent squealed.

"In which of the nine realms am I a _mouse_?!" Thor squeaked.

"Oh, I am sorry; I meant to turn you into a _rat_." Loki retorted.

With a vengeful gleam in his charcoal-looking eyes, Thor climbed the sleeve of his brother's long coat and bit him on the ear. Loki yowled out in pain and stood up, shaking the mouse off. The mischievous god then shape-shifted in a plume of green smoke. He shrank down into a massive cat. He had turned himself into a Black Panther, green eyes shining and fur bristling in anger. The feline let out a furious roar.

Thor the mouse fled with a shrill whine. Loki the jaguar followed in hot pursuit. In the blink of an eye, the battle's tables turned as the little rodent climbed halfway up a tree. As Loki stood up on his hind paws to chomp the little fellow, Thor let out a fighting squeal and dropped onto the jaguar's nose. Thor crawled onto Loki's head and held on to what fur he could.

The rest of us watched in intrigued astonishment as the mouse and jaguar duked it out. The tiny Thor crawled into Loki's ear and the big cat had to stop and scratch. Thor fell out and onto the ground, dazed and confused, but shot right back onto his feet with a determined glare.

"Have at thee!" shrieked the mouse.

"ENOUGH!" Loki roared. Suddenly the two were changed back into men, sitting on the ground, staring at each other. Thor stood, grabbed Mjolnir, and played with the hammer in his hands. "Honestly, you are more infuriating as a rodent than as a man." Loki snarled a-matter-of-factly.

Thor ignored the snarky comment and ran his fingers across the smooth surface of Mjolnir. He looked up at Natasha and grinned in his friendly way.

"May we proceed to the hunt, Lady Romanov?" he asked.

With a glance at everyone else, Natasha nodded. And with that, the two walked away, deeper into the woods.

"Okay, now that that's settled," I began after a brief pause, "We're going to have to work on shelter."

I could see by the blank looks I got that I had my work cut out for me. I divided everyone into teams again. Tony and Pepper were to help find timber, and Clint was supposed to go see Bruce about the arm injury. Tony, Pepper and I walked around near camp and found plenty of twigs and fallen tree limbs to suffice. If Tony didn't flirt with Pepper every two minutes, he probably wouldn't have as many bruises on his face from where she battered him with a stick and we probably would have gotten done faster. We still ended up getting done with the stick hunting before noon, when the sun was about mid-way through its leap through the sky.

Tony dropped down onto the ground with a sigh and scattered the wood he'd had all over the campsite. He groaned and complained about sore limbs. Clint ran over to us with a panicked look on his face. I tried to keep calm as I questioned him on what happened.

"The…doc…ain't in…" he gasped.

"Bruce is missing?" Pepper interpreted.

Clint nodded and cradled his injured arm in his good hand. As I sat there wondering what to do, Barton took a note from his pocket and handed it over. It was a crumpled, green leaf, flimsy and easily destroyed in my palm. Through the many ripples, I made out the doctor's traditional chicken scratch.

"'Dear friends and Loki,'" I read aloud, "'I don't feel that me sticking around is going to be very safe. So, to keep from hurting anyone, I'm going to a remote area in the forest.'"

His signature made it official at the bottom of the note. I stared at the tiny cursive letters, slightly wondering how he fit all of that on this small leaflet. It took me a moment to realize the hurtful truth: my team was slowly deteriorating.

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**Hey! Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! I hope to get more feedback in the future. Thank you for staying tuned this long, as I am not a good writer and my ramblings often get boring... Anywho, see you next time! XD**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I stood, befuddled, and stared at the card…er…leaf. My eyes scanned over the flimsy note over and over again, trying to make sense of the words in front of me. It felt like I needed reading glasses despite my sharp senses. The little, almost not legible chicken scratch, seemed to blur when my eyes skimmed over it. I shook my head.

"I can't believe Dr. Banner left." I said, still frozen in place.

"I can't believe he found a marker that wrote on that leaf." remarked Tony, peeking over my shoulder. "How did he fit all that on there?"

I shook Stark off my back, nearly ripping the leaf in my hands. I staggered and sent Tony onto the ground, stirring up loose dirt and clouding the air up with dust. He coughed and pushed himself back to his feet, glaring at me.

"I'll remember that the next time you need help against an evil archenemy." Tony growled.

I rolled my eyes.

"What're we gonna do?" Clint whined. "We've got no smart guy!"

"Hey!" Tony yelled defensively. "I'm smart too!"

"I think he means 'smart' as in, 'not getting into trouble every two minutes'." Pepper added.

"Well…" Clint began.

"Zip it, Bird Boy." Tony snapped. (He literally snapped his fingers when he said it.)

"Tony!" Pepper scolded him, making them both flinch at her motherly tone.

I don't think Pepper was really born with a voice that sounded so maternal, bat she sort of developed it after living with Tony for so long. Then again, I think anyone forced to be with Tony would eventually establish a sort of denouncing tone.

I shifted my weight to my other foot and discarded the leaflet. I eyed the other three of my team and steadily evened my tone. I tried to sound as leader-like as possible, so that no one would question my new idea, but it was difficult to hide my own dismay.

"Listen, we have to keep our heads on straight." I told them. "If we focus on the task at hand, we can go find Bruce later."

Tony and Pepper only nodded, while Clint cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah, Bruce's big green attitude'll keep 'im safe, I'm sure." Clint said pointedly.

It was then when I remembered his broken limb. I wasn't sure of what to do, but I knew that there had to be a solution. With or without a proper diagnosis, we had to give the thing at least a basic hypothetic treatment. I recalled my time in the service during World War II when a man on the team named Johnson had a similar predicament. We'd forgotten the medi-kit at the camp (a very sorry mistake) and had nothing to help him but a bunch of grass and leaves. One of our other team members knew how to weave and made a basket-like sling for Johnson. We were able to complete the mission without any other problems and had no more complaints from Johnson about his arm. He even got promoted for his grit.

Now, as I scanned the area around camp, I realized that there was no grass decorating the forest floor. We were in a completely different environment from my past experience, making things just a bit more difficult. I picked through a few types of vegetation (all of which I knew none of their names) until I found one with a leaf large enough to fit around Clint's body. He is a small framed fella, after all. It didn't take me long to rip the part off the plant and return my attention to Hawkeye.

"We can make a sling from this." I stated. The leaf drooped and veiled my face, and I blew it away in annoyance. Clint stared at me for a moment like I was crazy. "It's the only thing we have. Besides, it'll probably make you feel better."

Barton gave me another strange look before accepting the idea. I assisted him in adjusting the thing at his shoulder blade, tightening the knot where the two ends of the leaf met. When we finished, Clint did a twirl, mocking people who try on clothes in the mall. He struck a funky pose with a hand in the air like he was trying to grasp a distant fruit in a tree. His face contorted into seriousness, as if he was pondering something or concentrating. Then, he started laughing at his own stupidity.

"I only wish I had Bruce's magic leaf-writing marker to sign your awesome cast with!" Tony chuckled.

I shook my head and began gathering up the wood that Tony had carelessly dropped everywhere earlier. Stark and Barton continued their joking around, leaving Pepper to add something or yell at them every now and again.

When noon turned to afternoon and afternoon to evening, I decided it was time to build a fire. I placed a stack of firewood within a circle of stones and then ignited a flame with a couple more rocks.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Tony hunched over in a strange posture, roughed up his hair, and made a very strange face. He stuck out his lower jaw, making it look like he had and under-bite and he began making gorilla noises.

"Ooh, ooh! Me Steve! Me make great fire!" he grunted.

Clint howled with laughter. Pepper and I scowled at them both.

"Be careful, Tony, you may attract some of your own species!" came a feminine voice from the woods.

Natasha daintily stepped through the undergrowth and into our camp clearing, where she stood and deposited a perfectly weaved basket filled with blackberries and bananas. Thor came clumsily after her, mashing down every plant in his path. He had the heavy burden of two strange hybrids of deer. One had the regular sandy-brown and white pelt, while the other was black and white, with antlers the color of the Hulk's hair. The lighter, sandy-colored one hung limply from Thor's shoulder, while the darker one presumed to struggle and squirm. It kicked him across the face, but it didn't seem to faze him a bit.

Atop Thor's head, a little primate sat, his tail curled tightly around the thunder god's forehead. He screeched and chattered at the black and white stag. The deer grunted back, and they seemed to have an argument right there.

"Calm, friends." Thor said imperatively.

He released the darker, foreboding stag. It fell ungracefully to the ground and transformed into Loki, every emotion but love upon his face. The monkey on Thor's head squealed in surprise and ducked into Thor's blonde locks.

Loki scowled, "_Never _do _that _again."

Thor only smiled good-naturedly and ignorantly, annoying the crud out of his younger brother. He then dropped the other deer beside the fruit, grinning from ear to ear.

"BEHOLD!" Thor cried, "A FEAST OF WILD FOODS!"

"Nice job, guys!" Clint praised them, mostly pointing his comment towards Natasha.

Miss Romanov smiled at him kindly, her red, painted lips curling upwards.

That night, we ate a dinner of venison and coconut milk. Coconut milk was the closest thing to beverages we had. It tasted terrible, almost like coffee with only half the sugar it needed. (Although, I don't drink coffee with sugar…) However, we had no fresh water or other drinks, so we had to settle on _something._

"I hope Bruce is okay…" Pepper said thoughtfully.

"Again, big, green, and injuring! He's lethal and will be just fine!" Clint responded.

Thor noisily chomped alongside his new little monkey friend. Loki glared at them both, as if imagining daggers piercing through them.

"So, Thor," I said, trying to take everyone off the tense subject of Bruce's false prosecutions, "Who's your friend?"

It took Thor a short moment to register my inquiry.

"Well, friend Steve, this small, very hairy mortal creature's name is Baldur!" Thor answered happily, food embellishing his beard.

Loki's eyes widened. "You didn't name him after…?"

Thor nodded and grinned. "After our brother! I found this little fellow in a holly patch. It reminded me of our deceased brother, hence his name."

Thor continued smiling.

"Hence, you change his name, now!" Loki argued.

"Hence, I shan't!" Thor shot back.

"Hence, YOU SHALL!"

"Hence, I SHALL NOT!"

Loki threw a piece of fruit at Thor and it landed squarely on the blonde's chest. Thor stared at it before retaliating with a piece of venison that squished onto Loki's nose. This exchange of food continued, until we all were sucked into the food fight. We raced around, the squishing and squashing sound meaning another portion of the meager meal connecting to either face or ground. I felt an abrupt banana make contact with my left cheek. Instantly, I lifted my head from aiming a grape at Hawkeye and turned my gaze upon the diminutive man on the left. Tony smirked evilly, snickering. I growled as "Baldur" climbed up my arm and onto my shoulder to lick the remainder of the banana off my face. I held my breath, trying to keep the ticklish feeling on my face. (Being ticklish is one of my unspeakable weaknesses…) Everyone stopped where they were, all eyes on the intensity between Tony and I. We stared each other down, almost like a western. Stark slung the first shot, tossing five grapes. I dove into the sand shoulder-first and tossed an apple his way. It hit him in the shin, making him a good bit angrier. From the sidelines, Clint threw a perfectly aimed pineapple that made contact with my stomach. I curled up in a ball.

"Ooof…" I groaned.

"Aww, somebody got a soft belly?" Tony teased.

"That was unfair!" yelled Thor as Baldur rejoined with his perch on his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah," agreed Agent Romanov, "No outside help, Clint."

Clint looked at the ground and twiddled his thumbs, acting like a guilty kid who'd been shunned to time out. Tony crossed his arms with a bored expression.

"So? Steve's like two of us combined! I think we were just balancing the challenge." Tony argued. "Besides, _I _should _always _win."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Oh really?" she said as she grabbed his earlobe and tugged him off to the side.

"Ow, ow, ow…ear, ear, ear!" yelped the "mighty", helpless Tony.

Thor shrugged and began wolfing down even more food as if his stomach were a bottomless pit. (The two have been compared _several times._)

I stared into the heart of the fire where it glowed the brightest. I was mesmerized by the dance of the flames as they ate away at the scrounged up sticks. A sudden noise erupted from the forest. Several horses nayed angrily as they stampeded through the woods. They trampled everything in their path as they encircled our little camp. When they stopped, their riders were no longer blurs and we could see faces. They all wore naturally-made clothing and were like a whole tribe of Indians.

"Who are you?" demanded a grouchy man in a feathery headdress.

"The Avengers."

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**Thanks for the reviews before! I'm happy that people are finding this concept so interesting! Thanks for faves and follows, also! I'll see you in the next chapter! :)**


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